Document text
Medford City Council banned greenhouses for cannabis Thursday night, but it approved deliveries of marijuana. The council voted 7-1 to allow residents to grow marijuana only in their houses or in attached garages. Detached garages built before the ordinance was enacted can also be used to grow marijuana. But any detached garages built from now on are off limits for growers. On a 5-3 vote, the council permitted home delivery of both medical and recreational marijuana from Oregon Liquor Control Commission-licensed stores. Mayor Gary Wheeler threatened to veto various efforts to allow greenhouses, including attempts by some councilors to come up with language that would require the greenhouses to be more secure. “I think we are going against the will of the people who didn’t want outdoor grows,” Wheeler said, referring to a 2016 outdoor-grow ban approved by voters that took effect in 2017. Wheeler said he could live with allowing growing in garages or in a house, but he wasn’t “thrilled” with the idea. He said marijuana is so widely available at stores that he didn’t see the need to allow growing in backyards in the city. After hours of debate, the council compromised on allowing existing detached garages, but Councilor Clay Bearnson, who grows marijuana in the county and owns a cannabis store, couldn’t stomach the compromise. “I refuse to vote with a gun to my head,” he said, casting a protest “no” vote on the detached garages. Bearnson said he checked with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission to make sure it was legal for him to vote on marijuana-related issues because of concerns about a conflict of interest. The city had 32 complaints last year about backyard greenhouse grows, and some councilors scratched their heads over why the council was so concerned about the greenhouse question, as well as the home delivery of marijuana. “How many of these whopping 32 complaints are resolved?” Bearnson said. “I’m failing to grasp what are the concerns.” Medford police Sgt. Don Lane said most backyard growers either removed the plants or put them indoors after code enforcement received the complaints. Councilor Kevin Stine, who noted the council frequently worries about things such as marijuana stores and then finds out they were unwarranted, said 32 complaints doesn’t warrant a ban on greenhouses. “Why are we here today?” he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow him on www.twitter.com/reporterdm .